London entrepreneur introduces a system that operates a computer by hand movements 0

Controlling your computer with the wave of your hand has been the stuff of science fiction movies for years.

Now, London entrepreneur Brad Young has turned it into a reality and has launched a Kickstarter campaign aimed at getting the Motus to market.

The Motus (Latin for motion) is a slim, black box that allows the image on your computer screen to react to hand movement. Turn your wrist and the object on the screen flips over. Rotate your finger and draw a circle or move back and forth to pan and zoom.

Young said designers are still using two-dimensional tools to create 3-D objects, while “this frees you up from the traditional tools we are used to working with . . . It’s more natural.”

Motion sensitivity has been used in video game systems, such as Wii for years, but Motus uses a different technology and is targeted at users of Computer Assisted Design (CAD) programs, a staple tool of the auto parts industry.

Young worked on CAD systems for five years and is a graduate of Fanshawe College’s mechanical engineering design and electronics engineering programs.

The Motus is an improvement over the 3D mouse available for CAD systems, he said.

“This is the perfect way to manipulate the CAD in a real 3-D environment moving more naturally without having to hold anything.”

While the Motus is aimed at CAD programs, Young said, it could be adapted to a variety of uses such as Photoshop or video editing programs.

He said the Motus won’t replace the keyboard, mouse or touchpad, which are still needed for precision work, but will make computer work faster and easier.

The Motus also has a series of “hot buttons” that serve as shortcuts to frequently used functions.

Young has some high-profile competitors. SpaceX, owned by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, is working on a similar device, but Young says his is easier to use.

London entrepreneur Brad Young has launched a campaign on the Kickstarter crowd-sourcing website bit.ly/motus_3d to raise $128,000 to perfect his prototype for a motion sensitive computer device — the Motus — and pay for its certification and production.

Young plans to bring the Motus to market but hopes to open-source the project so other software developers can improve the technology.